


Three words, eight letters, three syllables

by belmanoir



Category: Gossip Girl
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:32:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belmanoir/pseuds/belmanoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I love you," Chuck tells his bathroom mirror. It's an obvious lie. His reflection is unimpressed. "I love you," he tries again.</p><p>Serena appears in the open doorway. Ah, the joy of a blended family. "I knew you were narcissistic, Chuck, but this is a bit much even for you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three words, eight letters, three syllables

**Author's Note:**

> Set after the first couple episodes of season 2.

"I love you," Chuck tells his bathroom mirror. It's an obvious lie. His reflection is unimpressed. "I love you," he tries again.

Serena appears in the open doorway. Ah, the joy of a blended family. "I knew you were narcissistic, Chuck, but this is a bit much even for you."

"Ha ha," Chuck drawls. "Can I help you with something?"

She tilts her head. "Is this about Blair and how you chickened out of saying you loved her?"

Chuck misses having his own penthouse where no one bothered to care about him. "Mostly."

Serena sighs. "Blair knows you love her, Chuck. But if you're afraid to say it, you'll be afraid to do other things too and she'll keep ending up alone and humiliated in Tuscany."

"There are worse places to be alone and humiliated," Chuck says. He doesn't say that Blair's abandonment issues can mostly be laid on Serena's lovely broad shoulders. He understands, after all. He felt sorry for Blair in the divorce, but he and Serena had never had that kind of stability to lose. They do the best they can.

Serena makes a adorably squished-mouth expression of concern. "I have problems with 'I love you,' too," she says, apparently thinking along the same lines. "Lily always wanted someone to love her so badly, she settled for the words instead of the feeling. I want to make sure I know how I feel first."

"Bart loves Lily."

"I know," Serena says without much conviction. 

Chuck doesn't really understand Bart and Lily either. "My dad isn't good at love either. I'm sure he's said it. I just can't think of a time it didn't have a 'but' after it."

Serena looks glowing and sympathetic like the Virgin Mary. "I think you're good at love, Chuck."

Chuck just looks at her.

"If it's 'mostly' Blair, what is it partly?"

He shouldn't tell her, but it's like a ball of acid in his chest. He has to tell someone. "It's Nate. Look, this can't go any farther. Do you understand me?"

"Of course," she says easily.

"No, Serena, I mean it. You don't tell anyone. Not Nate, not Blair, not that social-climbing little boyfriend of yours."

"I promise."

"The Archibalds' assets are being seized. They'll have nothing."

Serena gasps.

"I sold the club and gave Ann Archibald the money."

Serena lights up. "Oh, Chuck, that was so sweet of you!"

Chuck grits his teeth. "No, it wasn't. Nate hates to be lied to more than anything. I knew if I said to him, 'I love you, Nathaniel, I can't sleep when you're unhappy, let me do this for you'--he would. But I couldn't, so I went behind his back and now he hates me."

Serena smiles the _Don't be silly, everything will be fine!_ smile she gives everyone's problems but her own. "Chuck, Nate doesn't _hate_ you."

She didn't see Nate's face. Possibly she's never seen Nate really angry. "Well, he won't, once I've apologized and..." He swallows, glancing involuntarily at the mirror. His own harsh face and stern brows look back. He doesn't look like someone you'd want to hear _I love you_ from.

Serena slings her arms around him from behind and puts her chin on his shoulder. "Here, we'll practice together."

"What?"

"I know you love me, Chuck. I mean, you do, don't you?" She pulls back, for the first time sounding uncertain. "Last year...we weren't...well. We weren't on great terms. But we've been friends forever, and when I was in trouble I knew you would be there for me, and you were. You were a really good friend to me, Chuck, and you're my brother, and I love you."

Chuck looks at her and realizes that the words don't matter, anyway. They're just expressing something that's either true or not. The next time Serena leaves, it won't hurt any more or less because he said this. "I love you too."

She throws her arms around him impulsively. His arms and vision are full of leggy blonde. "See, was that so hard?"

Chuck laughs. "Are you kidding? It was torture." 

She laughs, kisses him on the cheek, and swipes his fig-scented Savon de Marseille off the counter. "I'm out of soap, I'm taking yours."

"Buy your own soap," he says, but for the first time it doesn't seem weird to have her in his space. Maybe this blended family thing isn't such a disaster after all.


End file.
